150 Fist Fighting and Self-Cultivation
fighter depends on the qi of the whole body concentrating on one point,”
writes Chang Naizhou.^35 The manipulation of qi implied a harmony of mind
and body, intent and movement. Qi cultivation was a form of mental concen-
tration, subduing the body to the performer’s will. The idea was expressed
poetically in the late Qing Taiji Quan classic “Song of the Circulation of the
Primordial Qi,” here in Douglas Wile’s translation:
The mind (yi) and qi are rulers,
And the bones and flesh are ministers,
The waist and legs are commanders;
The hands are vanguards,
And the eyes and skin are spies.
The ruler gives orders and the ministers act;
The commanders give orders and the ruler acts.
The spies must immediately report to the commander,
And the commander issues orders to the troops.
Ruler and follower work together;
Above and below act in harmony,
And the whole body is one flow of qi.^36Fiction mirrored the belief that effective fighting depended upon qi circula-
tion. The Classified Anthology of Qing Anecdotes (Qing bai lei chao) tells of one
Iron-Fist Bian, who “chose a large stone slab, positioned himself, circulated
his qi (yunqi) and struck. A deafening crack was heard, as the stone slab split
in the middle.”^37 Memoirs of the Tianqiao entertainment district in Beijing
similarly attributed the fits of performing artists to internal energy. The fol-
lowing description of a martial artist nicknamed “Stupid Chang” is notewor-
thy for the light it throws on the performer’s livelihood (he sold his clientele
“Power-Increasing Pills”) no less than for the narrator’s skeptical tone:
The secret art of Stupid Chang was stone smashing. The stones were
large, round, and smooth. Prior to the performance, his younger
brother, Old Chang the Second, took two stones and hit them against
each other, letting the audience here the clacking sound. He then
allowed the spectators to feel them. Meanwhile, Chang circulated his qi
at his side. The circulation being over, Chang took the stone, placed it
on the edge of a stool, and searched for the exact spot to be hit. Two
large cries Ah! Ah! were heard, and his hand struck. As if responding to
his cries the stone broke. Stupid Chang could also drill with his fingers
into stones, smashing them.
Once the performance was over, Chang sold his spectators his “All-
Nourishing Power-Increasing Pill.” According to him it was miraculously
effective—not only could it strengthen the tendons and build one’s
bones, it could also cure all other internal and external injuries,